Street-railway switch.



No. 712,779. Patented Nov. 4, 1902..

w53. DURHAM, 1R. STREET RAILWAY SWITCH..

l(Applioatsilm led June Si)` 1902,)

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No. 712,779. Patented Nw. 4;'|9u2.-

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STREET RAILWAY SWITCH.

(Applicationl'ed June 30. 1902.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM R. DUNHAM, JR., 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

STREET--RAILWAY` SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters lPatent No. 712,779, dated November 4, 1902. Application led June 30, l902. Serial No. 113,844. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, t mfc/y concer-n:

Be it known that LWILLIAM R. DUNHAM, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Street-Railway Switches, of which the following is a specification.

On street-railways the switches on the turnouts or branches are usually controlled by the motorman moving the pivoted tongue to open or close the inlet to the turnout or branch. The tongue, pivoted at one end, lies loose in the channel of the switch and is moved by means of the switch-bar from the rail on one side to the rail on lthe opposite side of the switch. The jar of passing cars, the crossing of the switch by loaded teams, the passage of lighter carriages,the wheels of which are liablen to run in the groove or the depressed portion of the rail,'and other causes are liable to move the tongue into the path of theilanges on the car-wheels, causing annoyance and delay.

The object of this invention is to hold the tongue of the switch by a spring-pressure in the desired position; and to this end the invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction by which the tongue may be operated and held in the adjusted position by a coiled spring, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

Figure l is a side vi'ew of a railway-track and part of a street-railway car, showing the operation of setting the switch. plan view of the street-railway track, showing the switch-locking device. Fig. 3 isa plan view of my switch operating andlocking mechanism, showing the same connected with the switch-tongue and inclosed in a box. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the saine. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the connection of the, coiled spring with the bar connected with the tongue.V Fig. 6 is aside View of the switchtongue.

Similar marks of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, A indicates the switch portion of the railway-track; c, the outer or rail ange of the switch; a', the inner ilange of the switch; c2, the frog-point on the track opposite the switch; 0.3, the street-railway car; c4, the operator, and c5 the switch-bar; B,

bear.

Fig. 2 is a.A

the tongue of the switch, and'B a box inclosing" the tongue operating mechanism. The box Bf' is provided with the removable top plate b, connected by a tongue-and-groove joint and secured bythe bolts o' Z7. B is`provided with the lugs b2 b2, by which the box is secured to the web of the outer railflange of the switch, as shown in Fig. 4. The end of the box adjoining the switch is provided with the packed plug b3, through which the rod b4 extends. The studs b5 b5, projecting from the rod b4, serve to secure the rod to the tongue B, which is provided with the slotted bracket Zn By passing the stud b5, on the end of the rod b4, through the slot in the bracket b and turning the rod the same is secured to the tongue which is held between the two studs b5 b5. The coiled spring 117 surrounds the rod b4 and bears at the opposite ends on the Washers 198 bs.

, The rod b4 is in the preferred form made tapering and is provided with screw-threads on which the nuts b9 b9 are screwed to form abutments against which the washers 198 198 The frame 610 has the slotted loop Z911 and the ends'b12 512, which encircle the rod b4 and are provided with openings in which the nuts b9 b9 may slide. The crank c engages with the slot in the loop bu. The lower end c' is stepped in the bottom of the box B'. The upper end is formed into a cylindrical boss c2, provided with an elongated fslot c3, adapted to receive the end of the switch-bar a5. 'lhecylindrical boss c2 is rotatably supported in the journal-bearing c4, secured in the top plate b. The coiled spring tf1 is of sufficient strength to hold the washers 198 o8 firmly against the ends Z912 612 of the frame blo and resist the strain exerted by the crank c on the frame in moving the rod Z7* and the tongue .BA to operate the switch. The crank c is turned by the operator a one-half turn to move the tonguel B from one position to the other and in either position locks the frame blo. The recess c5 in the bottom of the box B is semicircular in plan, the straight side forming the stop which limits the rotation of the crank to a half-turn.. When the tongue B is in the desired position and a force y is exerted against the side of the tongue tend- The box IOO spring bi,- but the reaction of the coiled spring will replace the tongue to its original position. Should dirt, stones, or ice prevent the movement ofthe tongue close against the side flanges of the switch, the crank may still be turned 'a half-turn to lock the frame Z210, and one ofthe ends Z212 of the frame will bear hard on the adjacent washer bs, acting,r to compress the coiled spring, the ends Z112 of the frame blo being free to slide on the nuts b9 bf. All the joints of the box B being made watertight, the mechanism is protected against dirt and frost.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In a switch-operating device, the combination with a crank rotatably mounted, an operating-slot in the end of the crank, and a sliding frame operated by the crank, of a rod connected with the tongue of the switch, a coiled spring surrounding the rod, and two sliding abutments bearing on the ends ofthe coiled spring, as described.

2. In a street-railway switch, the combination with the tongue and the rod b4 connected with the tongue, of the nuts bf b9 in screwthread engagement with the rod, the washers bs bs and the coiled spring on the rod, the slotted frame bw having the ends 1112 Z212 and the crank c rotatably supported and provided with an operating-slot, as described.

3. In a street-railway switch, the combination with the switch-body and the tongue B, the box B', the cover, the journal-bearing in the cover, and the semicircular recess c5, of the rod b4 connected with the tongue, the nuts b9 b secured to the rod, the Washers bs bs and the coiled spring on the rod, the frame blo having the ends bu bw, and the crank o, having the slot c3, operating the frame blo, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM R. DUNHAM, JR.

Witnesses: v

ADA E. HAGERTY, J A. MILLER, Jr. 

